Colon Cancer, how much does it cost in America?

Cancer, and how much does it cost in American?
I've heard of cases where young children get cancer, and young people in their 20's, 30's, 40's and up.
It can surprise otherwise healthy and active people with no rhyme or reason as to who gets hit.
You may be hiking in the mountains, playing softball and active as all getout. But you can't plan for it.
You get your health coverage and hope for the best.
So.........Will I be able to ski this year?

Some forms of treatment call for a bug zapper.
This machine is for zapping cancer cells.

The top part rotates in a circle, Left, Top and Right.
Radiation destroys cells, and the new cells grow back cancer free.

Before they put you in the bug zapper, they take pictures of the inside of your body.
My pictures showed the happy images of a tumor that had not spread.
If it had spread, I wouldn't be smiling.
Okay, maybe I would have smile for the camera anyway.
In this picture I'm happy because I have been told, that they see the enemy and the enemy will be "taken out!"

Now I'm finding out about costs. Roche XELODA (capecitabine)
Chemo is six pills a day at a cost out of pocket of $144.00 per day.
6 x 500mg tablets a day.
If I pick up the same pills in the same package in Canada, it's $35.00 a day.
Same company, but charging differently depending on the country they are selling to.
The Generic can go for as little as $10.18 a day.

If you can afford healthcare in the US Terry, which judging by the pics you can, then you have access to the best healthcare on the planet. Period. So rest well (and get better) with that in mind. The issue is whether it is worth what we pay for it. It is the best, but God it costs a lot.

For the less fortunate uninsured in America, I worry. And I am concerned about their drug costs too, although the question is always asked whether drugs will get developed at all if the cost is too low? Part of me thinks America is footing the development costs for the rest of the world. So, it's a bit of a chicken and an egg. But all Americans should have access to affordable healthcare and if that means me paying more taxes, and a few more of my Washingtonian friends being employed by the Federal Government, then so be it.

I cannot stand all this ridiculous talk in the media of if you have a risky lifestyle then you should pay more in premiums.

As someone who is overweight, why should I pay more than a skydiver or even a skier? Why should a smoker pay more than a bungee jumper? Or an electrician more than a plumber? We all take risks and insurance is supposed to spread these: something that has fundamentally been forgotten in America's insurance industry today.

But I would ask you to check whether the bug zapper has been correctly plumbed? I cannot see a vent, but perhaps it is on a septic tank.

And the sharpies have been installed upside down which is against code: Article 210 of the NEC addresses "pens with permanent ink" (as opposed to pencils or dryboard markers) and states that these must be placed "lid up" on "any grounded appliance". An exception permits sharpies to be installed without lids as long as the disconnecting means for the appliance is lockable in the "open" position.

Today's my last Radiation day, the 28th time I've been zapped.
Then I get a 4-6 week break before surgery.
So I guess that means around the first of the year for that.

By the way, how many of you guys have gone in for your standard colonoscopy?
Either do a two hour visit for a routine procedure, or wait until it's something serious.
You normally do these at 50, and then every five years.
It's easy and keeps you running well.
Wait, like I did, and you're into this stuff for a year.

28 days of radiation will slow you down.
When I did a 5K run with Cathy, I was getting kind of tired.
Now it will be interesting to see what it's like to ski between the radiation and the surgery.
Skiing after the surgery will be interesting too.
So what happens if I fall on my side with the little bag?
Does that mean I will need to carry an extra shirt in my back pack?
I get the bag for six months, and then they take it out.
I will still have some time left in Summer I guess after it's removed.
I went out dancing last Thursday and Sunday.
I couldn't dance as long as I normally dance.
I'm looking forward to getting that all back though.
Fun Stuff.

It's okay to brood too Terry, I know you didn't mean anything by it Matt, but so many times people don't understand that never had to battle the beast & it can put more stress on that person. It is okay to be sad & be holed up, or mad or depressed too, it's all part of it.

Try to keep things in perspective. If you had been around just 100 years ago instead of today, even if your last name was Carnegie or Rockefeller, all doctors could do for you is pump you full of morphine and watch you die.